Foldable stretcher.



J. SENIUK.

FOLDABLE STRETCHER.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 2. 1914.

69 1 w Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

nr. nunlflb PETERS 60., PHOTQLITHOH WASHINGTON. Dv C 0 2 R p A d w m a P J. SENIUK.

FOLDABLE STRETCHER.

APPLICATION FILED mac. 2, 19M.

JOHN SENIUK, (1F SUYNE, PENNSYLVANIA.

FOLDABLE STRETCHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

Application filed December 2, 191-1. Serial No. $25,114.

'1 b all whom it may concern Be it known that l, Jenn Snniuri, a sub ject of the Emperor of Austriallungary, residing at Coyne, in the county of Lackewanna and State of Pennsylvania, have 111- Yented certain new and useful Improve ments in Foldable Stretchers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful Improvements in foldable stretchers.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a stretcher especially adapted for emergency and army use and which may be readily folded into compact form for transportation purposes.

A further object is to provide a stretcher frame in which the mattress member is removable from separate support and carrying means and the said means being readily assembled and disassembled and also belng relatively foldable.

A still further object is to provide a stretcher that is cheap and easy to manufacture but at the same time possesses the requisite amount of strength and is ar ranged to provide an ad ustable head support by means of tensioning the supporting mattress through the agency of relative adjustments between supporting and carrying parts of the stretcher frame-work.

With these general objects in view and others that will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings forming a part of this application and in which like designating characters refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views :Figure l is a perspective view of the complete device assembled for use. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the outer side of one of the support members. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the mattress member. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the end bars of the mattress member detached. Fig. 5 is a sectional detail view of the looking means for the stretcher frame. Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view through one of said mattress end bars and a portion of the mattress secured thereto. Fig. 7 is a central transverse sectional view taken through the assembled device, with a portion of the mattress broken away, and, Fig.

8 is a side elevation of one of the support members detached and in its folded position. Referring more in detail to the drawings, it will be seen that the frame-work of the stretcher comprises oppositely-positioned support members 10 having opposite side rails slidably positioned through substantially central slots 12 of the side posts 13 of said support members, it being noted that the opposite ends of said side rails are reduced in cross-section forming handles 1 1 which are readily positioned through the said slots 12. The side rails 11 are rectangular in cross-section and the engaging portions 15 thereof being also rectangular in cross-section but of slightly less dimensions than the main central portions of the rails, the positioning of said reduced rail portions through the rectangular slots 12 preventing any relative turning of the members while the said posts 13 are adapted to abut against shoulders 16 of the said side rails. The opposite supports are retained in position upon the side rails by means of outwardly-positioned set screws 17 threaded through bushings 18 of the posts and engaging the rails.

Each support member 10 has a flexible strap 19 pivoted at its opposite ends as at 20 to the lower or feet portions of the sup port posts 13 while a cross-bar 21 is pivoted as at 22 between the said supportposts substantially mid-way between the opposite ends of the posts. By this arrangement, it will be seen that the support members when disassembled from the device are readily folded by moving the members thereof relatively to each other upon the pivots 20 and 21 and as best illustrated in Fig. 8.

The mattress 23 of the stretcher is formed of any desired-flexible material, such as canvass and has oppositely-positioned open sleeves 24: adapted for the sliding reception of the side rails 11, the mattress being of sufiicient width to position the same properly tensioned between the said side rails when so mounted thereon and when the side rails are engaged within the slots 12 of the support members. Similar end bars 25 are secured to the head and foot portions 26 and 27 respectively of the mattress by means of overlapping cleats 28, as best illustrated in Fig. 6. Strap brackets 29 are carried at the opposite ends of the said bars 25 and are adapted to seat over the reduced tops 30 of the posts 13 of the support members.

From this detailed description of the de vice, it Will be seen that When the stretcher is assembled as illustrated in Fig. 1, it may be readily knocked down by forcibly removing the end bars from the support member posts by lifting such bars ofl of the posts and that thereafter, the set screws 17 may be loosened and the support members slid longitudinally off of the handle ends of the side rails 11. The mattress may be then slidablyi-emoved from the side rails and the side rails may be then folded Within nevertheless to be understood that various forms, modifications, and arrangements of the parts maybe had Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed. p I

lVhat I claim as new is 1. A foldable stretcher comprising side rails, foldable support members slidably mounted thereon, locking devices for said support members, a mattress slidably mounted upon the said rails and between the said rails and the said support members, end bars secured to the said mattress, end straps at the opposite ends of said bars, and removably secured to the tops of the said support members.

2. A foldable stretcher comprising side rails having reduced handle ends, fold-able support members having posts provided with substantially centrally-positioned slots adapted for the sliding reception of said rails, the said rails provided with shoulders adapted for engaging the said posts, railengaging locking means carried by the said posts, cross-bars and flexible strap members pivotally-coni'iecting the posts of the support members and spaced apart upon the opposite sides of said posts, the upper ends of said posts being reduced, a flexible mattress member having oppositely-positioned sleeves slidably-mounted upon the said rails and also having head and foot portions at the opposite ends thereof, end bars fixedly secured to the opposite ends of the said mattress member, strap loops secured to the opposite ends of the said end bars and removably positionable upon the said reduced upper ends of the posts of said support members.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN SENIUK. Witnesses W LADYSLAW KUszKA, MICHAL KoLoWIzJ.

G'opies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C." 

